Veneer machine



Jan. 7, 1936. w. w. STODDARD VENEER MACHINE Filed Match 26, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet HIS ATTORNEYS hfhlspodaza r g Jan. 193s. STQDDARD 2,027,295

VENEER MACHINE Filed March 26', 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 1 S WWSfloddarak HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 7, 1936 UNIT-ED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,027,295 VENEER MACHINE Wallace W. Stoddard, Savannah, Ga. Application March 26, 1934, Serial No. 717,493 6 Claims. (01.144-209) ingr-rthe conventional 7 types of screws and gears utilizedffor" this purpose.

More-specifically; the invention contemplates 15 a veneer machine having means for rotatably supporting a body of wood and fluid actuating devices connected tothe cutting element adapted tomoveathe element toward the revolving body of: 'woodz-and hold: it against thesurface thereof 20 with a regulable, uniform or constant pressure, the-movement of the cutting element relatively to the axis-of rotation of the body-of wood being controlled; both as to rate of movement and. direction of movement, so that a strip of veneer ;,of uniform thickness will besevered orremoved from :the body of -wood.

- Withthese'and other objects inview, theli nvention-ponsistsdm certain details of construction' and combinations and arrangements of "parts, .alll asswillhereinafter be more fully described, andthe-novel featuresthereof particularly'pointed out in the-appended claims.

In-.-theaccompanying drawings, illustrating a" preferred embodiment ofthe invention,

Figure '1 is a front elevational view ofthe machine Fig. 2 is atop plan view;

Fig.3 is a transverse: vertical section, on the line 3--3of Fig".- 1; 40o Fig;;4'iS a likeview on theline 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 -isva vertical; sectional view, on the line 55- of Fig; 2

Fig. 6 is-asectional view on the line'B-B of Fig 455- Fig. lisa sectional view on the line'T-l of Fig; 4;

Fig. 8 is-ai-longitudinal sectional view through above which there are appropriately supported holding devices I I, l'2,*for rotatinga body of wood (not shown), from which the stripof veneer is to be supported. The supporting element II is journaled in suitable bearings andis driven from 5,, an electric motor I3, through a chain of gearing which may, or may not, be provided with clutch and change-speed. If desired, the supportingelement [2 may be-imounted' for reciprocatory movement in the bearing block 14, the outerex- 10 I tremity or prolongation of-said element having attached thereto a link I5; by which it is connectedto a lever l6, pivoted at H on thebracket l8 on the frame.

At its lower end, lever l6 has attachedthereto-'15 a link l9, andthe latter, inzturn', is connected to a piston within theinterior of cylinder-20. Air or other operating, fluid isadmitted to cy1-' inder through pipe 2|, which leads to avalve mechanism 22, by means of whichair, supplied 20 from a supply pipe 23, may be delivered to the cylinder 20 for the purpose of urgingthe holding device 12 into engagement with thebody of Wood under the desired pressure. Air may be vented from cylinder 20 through the valve mecha anism 22 and exhaust 24. l

The mechanism for positioning the cutting element against the revolving body of wood, and subsequently moving it with respectto said revolving body, so as to remove from the latter the strip of veneer of uniform thickness, will now be described. Projecting forwardly from the lathe bed or main frame I0, are two longitudinally spaced brackets 25 in the lower extremity of which are slots 26 and journaled in said slots are the extensions 21 Ma carriage for the cutting element or knife 28. This carriage may be formed of an upper'section '29 and a lower section 30, the lattercomprising the extensions 21. The upper section 29 has a V-shaped slot extending longitu- 40 dinally, of its lowersurface; in which is received a similarly shaped rib on: the upper surface ofsection 30 for securing thetwosections together. To insure rigidity of this connection, clamp devices such as indicatedat 3| may be utilized. Knife 28 is preferably detachably secured to section 29 by bolts 32. At their upper extremities, brackets 25 are formed or provided with guideways or surfaces 33, on which the knife carriage is also supported by anti-friction elements 34, the contour of said guideways or surfaces 33 being such that when the carriage is rocked on its pivotal center toward a body of wood rotatably supported in the machine by the fluid-actuated mechanism hereinafter described, said carriage and knife will not only be urged toward the revolving body with the desired pressure, but their movement toward the center of rotation of said body, as the strip is removed from the latter, will be so controlled that a strip of uniform thickness will be formed.

slidably mounted in ways 35, projecting rearwardly from the main frame is a cross head 36, to which is pivotally attached one end of the link 3'! and the opposite end of said link is formed with a plurality of arms 31a pivotally secured to section 30 of the knife carriage. Said link 31 is secured to cross-head 36 by a pin 38 which also secures to said head the stem or piston rod 39 of a piston 40 in a cylinder 4| arranged transversely beneath the frame It]. As shown in Fig. 3, piston 40 is in the position it occupies at the time the knife 28 is disengaged from the body of wood indicated by the dot and dash line W in this figure, but by admitting an operating fluid into the right-hand end of cylinder 4|, movement of the piston 45 will cause the knife to be moved into engagement with the wood.

The connections for supplying operating fluid to cylinder 4| will now be described. The operating fluid, whether air or steam, is supplied through a feed pipe 42 to a cylinder 43, a pressure regulator valve 44, and a gauge 45 being interposed in said supply line. As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the fluid enters cylinder 43 centrally thereof and, at opposite'sides of the point of admission, there are pistons 46, 41, connected by an intermediate member 48 and provided with a stem or piston rod 49 projecting from one end of the cylinder, suitable packing being provided around the stem. At its outer extremity, stem 49 is connected by a link 5|] to an operating lever 5| by means of which the pistons 46 and 41 can be reciprocated manually in cylinder 43. Referring, particularly, to Figs. 2, 3, and 8, pistons 46, 41, are shown in neutral position, or, in that position where the operating fluid will not have access to cylinder 4|. But, assuming that it is desired to move the cutting knife into the wood from which the veneer is to be cut, lever 5| is moved to the left (as viewed in Fig. 2) with the result that fluid supplied to cylinder 43 will pass through a port 52 to a pipe 53 by which it is delivered to the right-hand end of cylinder 4| (Fig. 3). At the same'time, piston 41 will have uncovered a port '54'connected by pipe 55 to the opposite end of cylinder 4|, so that fluid entering one end of the cylinder 4| will move the piston toward the op posite end and the fluid in said opposite end will be vented through pipe 55 back to the cylinder 43, from which it will be exhausted through vent opening 56. This movement of piston 40 will, through link 31, rock the knife carriage on its pivotal mounting in slot 26 to advance the knife into engagement with the revolving body of wood. As the supply of operating fluid remains open, the knife will be urged toward the rotating body of wood at a constant pressure, and the contour of ways 32 is such that the cutting edge of the knife may be moved relatively to the center of rotation of said body of wood, so as to remove from the latter a strip of veneer of uniform thickness. In other words, by adjusting pressure regulating valve 44, to determine the force with which the knife will be urged against the surface of the wood, it is only necessary, in producing a strip of veneer of uniform thickness, to make such adjustment, and open communication between cylinders 43 and 4|, so as to move the knife into initial engagement with the wood. After the piston 40 and the knife 28 have reached the limits of their movement, during the cutting operation,

hand lever 5| is moved in the reverse direction to bring piston 47 in cylinder 43 to a position where vent 56 and port 54 will be closed but a port 5% 5 opened. At the same time, piston 45 in said cylinder 43 will be moved to a position where port 52 will be closed, and port 52a and vent 56a opened, under which condition, operating fluid will flow through pipe 55 to cylinder 4| and re- 10 tract piston 40, the fluid in the end of the cylinder 4|, previously supplied, being exhausted through pipe 53, port 520, and vent 5611. After the piston 40 and knife have been fully retracted, lever 5| What I claim is: 25

1. In a veneer machine, a frame, brackets on said frame having slots therein, means for rotatably supporting a body of wood, a carriage, a cutting element mounted in said carriage, rocking bearings for said carriage in said slots, and $0 fluid actuated means for rocking said carriage in said slots to force said cutting element into engagement with a body of wood carried by said supporting means with a regulable uniform pressure. p 3. 2. In a veneer machine, a frame, brackets on said frame having slots therein, means for rotatably supporting a body of wood, a carriage, a cutting element mounted in said carriage, rocking bearings for said carriage in said slots, guide- 4,0

ways for said carriage, and fluid actuated means for rocking said carriage and advancing the same along said ways to hold said cutting element against a body of wood in said supporting means with a regulable, uniform pressure. (,5 3. In a veneer machine, a frame, means for rotatably supporting a body of wood, a pivotally supported carriage, ways on which said-carriage is slidable, a cutting element on said carriage, and fluid actuated means for rocking said carriage to force said cutting element into engagement with a body of wood carried by said supporting means with a regulable uniform pressure, said ways controlling the pivotal and sliding motions of said carriage to move said cutting element relatively to the axis of rotation of said body of wood to sever from said body a strip of veneer of uniform thickness.

4. In a veneer machine, a frame, means for rotatably supporting a body of wood, a carriage, 60 means for pivotally supporting said carriage in said frame, said pivotal supporting means being slidable in the frame, a cutting element on said carriage, fluid actuated means for holding said cutting element against a revolving body of wood 05 with a regulable uniform pressure, and means for directing the movement of said carriage and its cutting element relatively to the axis of rotation of said body of wood to sever from said body a strip of veneer of uniform thickness.

5. In a veneer machine, a frame, means for rotataloly supporting a body of wood, a carriage pivotally and slidably secured in said frame, a cutting element on said carriage, a fluid pressure cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a link pivotally 76 connected to said piston and carriage whereby reciprocate-1y motion of said piston will rock said carriage on its pivotal center toward and from a revolving body of wood, and means for directing movement of the carriage and its cutting element relatively to the axis of rotation of said body of wood to sever from said body a strip of veneer of uniform thickness.

6. In a veneer machine, a frame, means for rotatably supporting a body of wood, a pivotally suported carriage, a cutting element on said carriage, a fluid pressure cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, connections between said piston and carriage for rocking the latter to move the cutting element toward a revolving body of wood, and means for maintaining said cutting element in the same radial plane relatively to the axis of rotation of said body of wood, said connections between said piston and carriage comprising means for preventing lateral deflection of the piston.

WALLACE W. STODDARD. 

